Seed-planter



,J- BIOKEY. Seed Planter.

No. 231,683. Patented Aug. 31,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT Trice.

JOSEPH RIOKEY, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS.

SEED-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,683, dated August S11, 1880.

Application filed January 23, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JosEPH RioKEY, of Kankakee, Kankakee county, Illinois, have invented a new and useful Seed Planter, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to improvements in that class of seed-planters in which regulated quantities of seed are automatically dropped at certain intervals in a prepared furrow by the movement of the machine; and its object is to increase the utility and efficiency of such implements.

My improvements consist, first, in a novel combination and arrangement of seed-dropping mechanism; second, in the combination, with a furrower and seed-spout of a seedplanter, of a sonndin g seed-distributer arranged within the furrower and directly below the spout, whereby the falling seed is caused to strike the distributor and sound a signal in the act of being distributed, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

My improvements are embodied in mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional elevation of my improved seed-planter. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation of amoditied form of the mechanism for throwing the friction-pulleys actuating the seeding devices in or out of gear. Fig. 4 is a rear view of the furrower and the lower portion of the seedspont, showing the position of the sounding seed-distributer.

Similar letters of reference in the figures indicate similar parts.

A A are the side sills of the frame B, the forward cross-brace; B, the intermediate crosssill, and G O diagonal braces connecting the rear ends of the side sills, A A, with theintermediate sill, B, and forming a pivotal support for thetongue D between theirforward ends above the sill B. The frame of the machine thus constituted rides upon wheels E E, of the usual concave periphery, rigidly attached to short axles a a, which have their hearings in suitable boxes upon the under side of the sills A A and diagonal braces O 0. Friction driving-pulleys b b, of wood, rubber, or other snita-ble material, are rigidly attached to the axles a a, to engage driven friction-pulleys for actuating the seeding mechanism, as will be hereinafter described.

F F are the seed hoppers, which, with the mechanism for measuring and dropping the seed, may be of any approved description.

The dropping devices (which for the purposes of this specification may be considered as horizontal sliding valves or partitions controlling the bottom aperture of the hoppers) are connected with and immediately actuated by levers G, pivoted at g g to short braces 00, secured front and rear to the front sill, B, and intermediate cross-sill, B. The levers G G project inwardly toward the center of the frame, where the power is applied to actuate the seeding devices. Springs d d, secured to the braces c c, bear against the levers G G, outside of their pivots, and tend to hold the levers in position to keep the seeding apertures and partitions closed.

The necessary intermittent backward movement is given to the inner ends of levers G by connecting-rods e e, actuated by a bent trip-lever, H, pivoted to supports f, rising from the diagonal braces 0 O, to which support may also be attached a drivers seat, S. The horizontalarm of the trip-leverH extends to the rear, and rests upon and is actuated by a cam, 1, upon a horizontal shaft, J, arranged above and parallel with the axles a a, in adjustable bearings, hereinafter described, and provided with friction-pulleys h h, driven from the pulleys b b upon the axles a.

The operation of this portion of my invention is as follows: The machine being drawn forward by its team, and the wheels. E E being set in motion, the independent shaft J is rotated by the frictionpulleys b b and h h. The cam I actuates the bent lever H, which, through the connecting-rods 6, draws back intermittently the levers G G against the tension of the springs cl (1, and thus operates the seeding mechanism.

The reaction of the springs cl keeps the seedin g-partitions closed dnrin g the intervals of the cam movement.

The cam may consist of a hub having a number of fingers extending radially therefrom, and by the substitution of different cams the proper movement of the seeding devices may be regulated and determined.

As already explained, the tongue D is pivoted to the frame between the forward ends of the diagonal braces O G,'and is so arranged as to permit the forward end of the frame to be elevated, and thus raise the furrowers or sled-runners of the seed-spouts N clear of the ground. This movement is effected at will by the driver and the friction wheels also thrown in or out of gear by the following means:

A shaft, L, is mounted transversely upon the frame in bearings rising from the side sills, A, and carries a fast pulley, I, near its center, to which is secured a cord or chain, which, after passing beneath an auxiliary pulley, n, pivoted between cleats projecting downward at the sides of and forming a guideway or lateral support for the tongue D, is fastened at its other end to the under side of the tongue. A hand-lever, M, attached to the shaft L, and rising vertically within reach of the driver, furnishes the means for partially rotating the shaft L, which, through the medium of its pulley land cord at, raises the front of the machine and its seed-spouts.

There are also rigidly attached to the shaft L, near its ends, two other pulleys, t t, upon which are secured cords or chains 0, which pass downward through the side sills, A, over pulleys k 70, secured beneath the side sills, and thence upward, passing again through the sills A, and are attached to the ends of hinged braces K, in which are the bearings of the shaft J, carrying the friction-pulleys h h, before mentioned. The braces K are hinged at their rear ends to the upper side of the sills A A, and are upheld by springs 11 p, which act against the cords 0.

The same movement of the hand-lever M by which the front of the machine and the seed-spouts are raised clear of the ground also allows the hinged braces K to be moved upward by their springs and the friction-pulleys h h to be moved out of contact with the pulleys b I). When the hand-lever is thus thrown down it may be secured by a hook, r, attached to the frame. When the lever is released the weight of the machine itself causes the parts to resume their original position and the friction-gear to become again operative.

The usual sled-runners are employed, in connection with the seed-spouts, to open a furrow in which the seed is dropped.

The modification in the means for adjusting the friction-rolls in and out of gear shown in Fig. 3 dispenses with the pulleys t' upon the shaft L, and substitutes therefor cranks i, which, by means of connecting-rods 0, actuate togglejoint connections t, operating between the ends of the braces K and the sills A, to which they are hinged. By this means a positive movement into or out of gear is given to the supplemental shaft J, and the springs 12 may be dispensed with.

A similar modification may be employed to elevate and depress the front of the'frame in relation to the axle. I

The marking devices consist of bent-rods O, hinged by rule-joints, as shown, to the ends of the front brace, B, having markii'ig-fingers at their extremities, which follow along the ground and mark the path to be followed in the return travel. The markers are so arranged that the fingers rest on the ground in the transverse line of the droppers and project laterally beyond the droppers exactly onehalf the distance between them.

The object of the latter arrangement is to enable the same marker to follow in its return the path it has made, and thus bring the seeddroppers in proper position for the return rows.

The object of arranging the marking-fingers in line with the seed-spouts is as follows: In reaching the end of the row, as soon as the last hill is dropped the front of the machine is at once elevated, which has the effect of raising the markers, and also to throw the cam-shaft out of gear. When the machine is turned it is brought to such a position that when the frame is depressed the marker rests exactly at the end of its former mark, ready to follow its former path in return, with the 0pposite marker in position to trace a new path for the next return. Before starting the driver elevates the horizontal arm of the bent shaft H with his hand, (for which purpose a suitable handle may be provided, as at ac,) which drops the seed, therefore, at a point exactly in line with the last hill dropped before turning, and as the cam remains unchanged in position while the machine is being turned, it resumes its operation when the travel is continued in position to drop correctly thereafter.

When out of use the markers may be thrown over upon the frame, as shown in Fig. 1.

In connection with the foregoing devices I employ a distributer, y, at the bottom of the seed-spouts, which is an inverted gong, so that the proper action of the seeding apparatus may be thus announced by sound to the driver.

The advantages of this will be obvious without further explanation.

Bells automatically sounded by hammers have been used in seeding-machines for signaling the dropping of the seed; but I dispense with the hammer and mechanism for operating, and cause the seed to act directly upon and operate the gong, which thus serves a double purpose-that of signaling and distributing the seed.

Having described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In combination with the frame of a riding seed-planter and a tongue pivoted horizontally thereto, a shaft, L, mounted upon the frame and carrying a fast pulley, l, a cord or chain, m, connected with the pulley l and the under side of the tongue, whereby the rotation of the pulley elevates the frame in relation to the tongue, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The supplemental shaft J provided with friction-wheels or pulleys h, and mounted in 5 adjustable bearings, in combination with the driving-pulleys I), mounted upon the Wheelshafts a, and mechanism, substantially as described, for throwing the shaft in and out of gear with the said driving-pulleys, essentially IO as set forth.

3. In combination with the shaft L provided With mechanism to lift the front of the machine and furrowers clear of the ground by its rotation of the cam-shaft J, mounted in r 5 bearings in the spring-bars K, the pulleys t k JOSEPH RIUKEY. Witnesses:

J osEPH O. HosEA, L. M. HOSEA. 

